I recently had the pleasure of a trip in an electric trishaw courtesy of the charity, Cycling Without Age Scotland.

The “Age” in their title is a little misleading as they will take anyone who has mobility issues. I met up with John (my driver) because of a request for a tour. A lady from England wanted to take her sister on a tour of the Botanic Gardens as a birthday treat and wondered if we had wheelchairs, which we don’t! I knew of this charity and had seen them in action in the gardens, so I contacted them to see if they could help.

John trains the volunteer drivers in the Glasgow area and offered demonstrate the trishaw for me.

This demonstration exceeded my expectations with a trip lasting about an hour. John carefully helped me into the seat and I fastened my seatbelt so I did feel secure. It was a relatively warm day but for a less mobile person I would recommend warm clothes and perhaps a rug!

Our expedition, took us through the gardens starting outside the Kibble Palace. We went down Ford Road to the Arboretum. After the Arboretum we crossed the Ha’penny Bridge and went along the Kelvin Walkway to the Humpback Bridge.

Finally, we returned to the Kibble Palace. John was an excellent driver and I’m sure all his volunteers are equally well trained. We stopped to look at things and talk to people, making the whole trip very pleasurable!

The trishaw I am pictured in, lives in the Botanic gardens. It is charged by a solar panel, making it a very green mode of transport. I thought there may be members of Friends who would enjoy the experience. There is no charge for the trip, though they suggest a donation of £5 per person – the trishaw seats two people so you don’t have to do this alone!

Details of how to ask for a trip can be found in the website–I found phoning the number the best way of making contact.

Or if you would like help making arrangements or indeed someone to accompany you, please email me at tours[@]glasgowbotanicgardens.org and I would be delighted to help!